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Fresh

The Tomatometer is 60% or higher.

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The Tomatometer is 59% or lower.

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Tom Conti

Although many thought his work in such features as Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and Reuben, Reuben might lead to a high-profile film career, Tom Conti never found the same success in his later work. Equally adept at comedy or drama, the longtime stage and screen actor gave lively, but finely tuned, performances regardless of the medium in which he appeared. Born to an Italian immigrant father and a Scottish mother in Paisley, Scotland, Conti was trained as a classical pianist at Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before shifting his attention to the stage. He made his stage debut with the Citizen's Theater in the late '50s and flourished in the theater for nearly a decade before making his first film in the 1975 musical drama Flame. As his sensitive and multi-layered portraits of deeply troubled characters began to earn the actor nods from the theater community, Conti began appearing in a series of memorable British television productions (highlighted by The Glittering Prizes [1976] and The Norman Conquests [1977]). In 1979, he was awarded a Tony for his portrayal of a paralyzed sculptor in a stage production of Whose Life Is It Anyway? Thanks to increased international exposure, he began to get more film roles, as well; they were usually only supporting parts in such movies as Galileo (1975) and Eclipse (1976), however, and he had still not landed a role that would leave a lasting impression. All that changed (at least temporarily) with an impressive pair of films in 1983. Conti's unforgettable portrayal of the eponymous character in the war drama Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence almost stole the spotlight from marquee draw David Bowie. That same year, Conti gave an Oscar-nominated performance as a drunken Scottish lothario in Reuben, Reuben. It should have turned the actor into a box-office draw, but superstardom continued to elude him, despite leading roles in such later efforts as American Dreamer (1984), Heavenly Pursuits (1985), and Shirley Valentine (1989). His turn as a Holocaust survivor in Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story earned Conti a Golden Globe nomination, and he alternated between the stage and screen in subsequent years. He starred in the CBS series The Wright Verdicts in 1995, but it was canceled after only a three-month run. Later roles in such features as Someone Else's America (1995) and Something to Believe In (1998) offered memorable screen appearances sandwiched between Conti's frequent stage roles. He continued to make both film and TV appearances in the '90s, including small-screen roles in such series as Deadline and Friends (in which he played Ross' snooty father-in-law Stephen).

Quotes from Tom Conti's Characters

D'Hubert:

What can I do?

Jacquin:

I have given the matter some thought. You can't fight if you're in different places. Physical impossibility. And you can't fight if you're opted in rank. Breach of discipline. And you can't fight if we are at war. Duels of nations take absolute precedence. So, keep away from him, keep ahead of him, and put your trust in Bonaparte.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

You told me a child did it.

Prisoner:

But no ordinary child. A child born in hell, forged by suffering, hardened by pain. Not a man from privilege.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

What does that mean? (referring to the prisoners' chants)

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

What does that mean? [referring to the prisoners' chants]

Prisoner:

Rise.

Prisoner:

He says the leap to freedom is not about strength.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

My body makes the jump.

Prisoner:

Survival is the spirit. The soul.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

My soul is as ready to escape as is my body.

Prisoner:

Fear is why you fail.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

No, I'm not afraid. I'm angry.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

Bane was the child you spoke of. He was born here?

Prisoner:

The legend is that there was a mercenary who worked for a local warlord. He fell in love with the warlord's daughter. They were married in secret. When the warlord found out, the mercenary was condemned to this pit. But then he exiled him instead. The mercenary understood that the daughter had secured his release, but what he could not know was the true price of his freedom. She took his place in the pit.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

And she was with the child, with the...the mercenary's child. Innocence cannot flower underground. It has to be stamped out. One day the doctor forgot the lock the cell. But the child had a friend. A protector, who showed the others that this innocence was their redemption, it was to be prized. The mother was not so lucky...... This is Bane's prison now. He wouldn't want this story told.

Prisoner:

He says you must first fix your back.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

How does he know?

Prisoner:

Well, he was the prison doctor. He was morphine addict who incurred the displeasure of powerful people, including your masked friend.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

How?

Prisoner:

Many years ago, it was a time of plague. Some of the other prisoners attacked Bane and the doctor's fumbling attempts to repair the damage left him in perpetual agony. The mask holds the pain at bay.

Prisoner:

You do not fear death. You think this makes you strong. It makes you weak.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

Why?

Prisoner:

How can you move faster than possible, fight longer than possible without the most powerful impulse of the spirit: the fear of death.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

I do fear death. I fear dying in here, while my city burns, and there's no one there to save it.

Prisoner:

Then make the climb.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

How?

Prisoner:

As the child did. Without the rope. Then fear will find you again.

Prisoner:

A child born in hell, forged by suffering, hardened by pain.

Prisoner:

You do not fear death. You think this makes you strong. It makes you weak.

Bruce Wayne/Batman:

Why?

Prisoner:

How can you move faster than possible, fight longer than possible without the most powerful impulse of the spirit: the fear of death.